Copy No. 11 OPTEL No. 33 Information received up to 7 a.m., 12 December, 1941. (I) NAVAL MEDITERRANEAN. A British submarine sank an escorted 15,000 ton merchant ship 60 miles South West of NAVORINO yesterday afternoon. On the 7th H.M. submarine torpedoed a merchant ship of the RAMB class 3,700 tons which was entering SUDA BAY. On the 10th a British cruiser bombarded DERNA and shipping in the harbour at close range. A British gunboat successfully bombarded the road 13 miles West of TOBRUK on the nights of 6th/7th and 7th/8th. A British trawler disappeared without trace and is presumed to have been sunk by submarine whilst on patrol off GIBRALTAR yesterday. FAR EAST . Ninety officers and 1,195 ratings have been saved from PRINCE OF WALES and forty-three officers and 858 ratings from REPULSE. The Navy Department WASHINGTON announce that one Japanese light cruiser, one destroyer and ten aircraft were destroyed during the attack on WAKE ISLAND on the 9th. It is reported that the Japanese battleship HARUNA about 29,300 tons was hit by bombs off LUOON on the 10th. Enemy aircraft attacked. NAURU Island yesterday afternoon and severely damaged the Wireless Station. In the attack on homeward convoy reported yesterday, two medium sized merchant vessels were sunk (one British, the other Egyptian). It is feared that a third ship of smaller tonnage has also been sunk. (II) MILITARY LIBYA. On the morning of the 10th ACROMA was reported clear of the enemy and our troops advancing northwards had reached the TOBRUK - DERNA road. About noon enemy M.T. totalling about 1,000 vehicles and dispersed over some sixty square miles, were reported West of ACROMA moving West and North West. Our forces took over 300 prisoners, some guns and much M.T. mostly from the Italian Trieste Division. By the evening, although operations were hindered by a wide spread sandstorm, we were close to GAOALA where there were indications that the Eastern defence %s were occupied by the enemy. FAR EAST MALAYA . In the North East our forces have withdrawn to a position covering MACHANG aerodrome about thirty miles South of KOTA BHARU. Enemy activity confined to patrols. On the KEDAH frontier, North West MALAYA, enemy infiltration has been going on and our troops have withdrawn to pre-arranged positions. |